The knowledge and perception of pharmacy students and recent graduates in IPSF toward antimicrobial stewardship

Objective: To assess the knowledge and perception of Pharmacy students and recent graduates within the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). Method: A 25-item questionnaire was used to gather demographic information, and assess respondents' knowledge and perception of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) and stewardship interventions. Result: A total of 406 responses were received, 383 (94.3%) respondents agreed that AMS helps limit the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance, 397 (97.8%) indicated that Pharmacists are key stakeholders in AMS, 207 (51%) respondents indicated that their university's curriculum includes a lecture or lecture series on AMS and 251 (61.8%) respondents reported to have acquired most of their knowledge on AMS via learning materials outside their university's curriculum. Conclusion: Pharmacy students and recent graduates in IPSF have a good knowledge of the goals of antimicrobial stewardship. However, an improved curriculum should be put in place to adequately educate future pharmacists on antimicrobial stewardship and interventions as most students went outside their curriculum to learn about AMS.